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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29862144">Purpose</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanfictiongirl29/pseuds/fanfictiongirl29'>fanfictiongirl29</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Nancy Drew (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>I just really love these two, post-2x06, prompts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:53:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,149</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29862144</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanfictiongirl29/pseuds/fanfictiongirl29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
      <p>Is this my response to their not being a new episode of Nancy Drew this week? Maybe. Anyway, someone gave me the prompt 'Ace tells Nancy she gave him purpose' and this is what I got. Enjoy!</p>
    </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ace/Nancy Drew</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>86</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Purpose</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Is this my response to their not being a new episode of Nancy Drew this week? Maybe. Anyway, someone gave me the prompt 'Ace tells Nancy she gave him purpose' and this is what I got. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nancy watched silently as Nick and the entire clan of Fan sisters pulled away from the Claw in Nick’s pick-up truck. The cops had shown up just a few minutes after they’d banished the spirit and freed George’s sisters, but seeing as how the scene they’d come upon had been a little hard to explain away, George had agreed to take her sisters to the station where they could give their own statements on what exactly had happened. Thankfully, Ted and Charlie had no memory of what happened before waking up in the parking lot of the Claw, so the official story they’d all settled on was that some guy had tried to kidnap the two girls before the rest of the crew had shown up and scared him off. </p><p>Meanwhile, after picking up the discarded toys and treats they’d used, Bess had called a ride for herself and told the rest of them she was heading back to the Drew’s house to let Connor and Luke know it was safe. Nancy knew she should probably have offered to go with her seeing as it was her house and her community service supervisor after all or maybe even tagged along to the police station with George and Nick, but after everything that had happened she’d needed a moment alone. </p><p>She sighed and sat down on the steps leading up to the entrance of the Claw before looking out at the dark sky and seaside in front of her. A few wanton candy wrappers Bess had missed were still blowing around the empty lot, and she made a mental note to herself to pick them up before George came back and complained about the mess. </p><p>“Hey.”</p><p>Nancy turned her head around and smiled softly as Ace stepped out of the front door and sat down beside her. “Place is all locked up,” he explained. “I figured George is okay with us closing early night.”</p><p>Nancy sighed. “After tonight, I doubt any of her sisters will want to set foot back in there for a while.”</p><p>Ace shrugged and slid closer, shielding her from the night’s chill. “I don’t know. Kids are resilient.” </p><p>She smiled as the memory of the similar words she had just spoken to her dad earlier that night rang through her head. “Yeah, they are.” </p><p>They fell into a silence, both of them sitting there looking out at the now empty parking lot. No one would ever be able to guess what had gone down just an hour ago. How close they had come to losing Ted and Charlie. </p><p>“I know I should have gone with them,” Nancy spoke up suddenly. “To the station, I mean, but I just…”</p><p>She trailed off as she tried to rein her racing thoughts into an actual sentence. And Ace, like always, just waited patiently, his face open and warm. That was one of the things she liked best about him, she realized suddenly. He never pushed her to open up more or got upset when she couldn’t. He was just there, like a calm, unworried force that knew you’d come to talk whenever you were ready. </p><p>“Do you ever think that it’s not worth it?” she asked. “I mean, we solve Lucy’s murder only to unleash a killer curse that almost takes us all out. And then, when we finally solve that, I apparently unleash who knows how many angry spirits that have been locked away for literal centuries.” </p><p>Tears started to form in her eyes as she sat back and really thought about all they’d been through in the last few months. “I lost my dad, I mean who I thought he was anyway. I lost Lucy without even really getting to have here. And George...we almost lost George.”</p><p>She stopped but they both knew she had more to say. Their eyes met intently and Nancy sucked in a breath before whispering, “I almost lost you.”</p><p>Ace gave a half smile and tilted his head consideringly. “Technically, Ryan’s dad put a hit out on me and Laura so that probably would have happened anyway. I just probably wouldn’t have come back without your help.”</p><p>“I’m serious,” she persisted. “Do you ever think about what your life would be like if I had never walked into the Claw that first day? How different it would be?”</p><p>“Different doesn’t always mean better,” he said steadily. “Before you came in, I was lost. I was working for McGinnis and helping out at the Claw, but it was all meaningless. I didn’t go home and feel good about myself. Killer curses aside, helping you out on these cases has been the best thing to happen to me in a long time. It’s given me purpose, meaning.” He cracked a smile. “Also, I can now add prison escape driver to my resume, so that’s pretty cool.”</p><p>Nancy smiled. “Technically I didn’t tell you to take Carson to my house.”</p><p>“Funny, he said the same thing,” Ace remarked with a grin of his own. “And you’re wrong by the way. We haven’t just almost lost George and me. We almost lost you too. Twice actually. I was there with Bess the whole time you were stuck in that dream world and you were dying. Like pale skin, foaming at the mouth, dying.”</p><p>“Yeah, but–”</p><p>“It’s not your fault,” he cut off before she could say it. “Nothing that has ever happened has been your fault. We all make choices, and you’ve been paying for other people’s choices your whole life.”</p><p>Nancy nodded as she let his words sink in. “I’m sorry, by the way. For all of it. Blaming you, almost sacrificing myself in the woods for you guys.”</p><p>“No, you did,” Ace pointed out. “Just because it didn’t work doesn’t mean you weren’t fully ready to be a barbeque bus. That’s why I was mad. Because I don’t want to lose you. None of us do.”</p><p>Nancy nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for helping me out today”</p><p>“No problem,” Ace replied. “Truth be told, I really didn’t want to go home right away anyway.”</p><p>Nancy frowned. “Problems with your dad?”</p><p>“No, my mom,” Ace said. “I lost her Tupperware after she made me promise not to.”</p><p>Nancy laughed and lifted her head to look at him. “So you were okay examining a dead body because you were scared of your mom yelling at you?”</p><p>Ace smiled. “Pretty much. And I’ve been wanting to cross that off my bucket list for a couple months now.”</p><p>“Maybe for actual game night, I can try and find my old Operation game,” she replied. </p><p>“Careful what you kid about, Drew,” he remarked. “You may not have seen it tonight, but Game Night Ace crushes.”</p><p>Nancy smirked and bumped her shoulder with his. “You probably know by now that I like a challenge.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading! I had a really fun time writing this prompt and I wanna write more, so if you have any ideas, send them my way! Thanks again!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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